2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500: problems, recalls and reliability
12 recalls and 698 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is engine (27% of complaints); the 2018 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · 17 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall Feb 2026
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 698 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Unknown which system failed. While driving on the freeway, truck lost power for a few seconds. Dash lights turned off and back on. Our safety and the safety of others on the freeway were at risk as we had no control of the vehicle. Have not had the truck checked for the problem. Scared to drive it. No warnings appeared.”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2026
“Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The contact stated that at the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was approximately 54,753. The current mileage was approximately 56,000. As per a Carfax report, the contact discovered the vehicle was reported stolen on May 2nd, 2025, with the vehicle mileage at 102,610. The contact was concerned that the odometer was altered prior to the purchase.”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2026
“I have a Trial Boss and it wont shut off when the key is off, KEEPS RUNNING. Did some research and it gave a couple of thing to check.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Jul 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and downshifted independently. No warning lights illuminated. Additionally, an OBD2 diagnostic scan retrieved diagnostic trouble codes: U0146, U0101, and U0100. A local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired because the VIN was not included in any recall. Additionally, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V797000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2026
“When a trailer is connected while parked and vehicle is off, trailer lights flicker, blink and sometimes remain on. Sometimes these events will set off alarm also draining battery down.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jun 2026
“While driving my truck it started flashing all the service lights on the dash, and then started shaking bad and making a loud ratcheting noise from the transfer case/transmission and a loud knock/tick from the engine. I scanned for codes and it has all loss of communication codes for engine/transmission/transfer case/brakes/steering”Owner report · Power Train · Jun 2026
“Transmission failed before 100,000 miles. All service was complete throughout the life of the vehicle. Problems shifting to next gear causing pulling or slipping on the vehicle. If not able to accelerate properly could cause a safety concern on the road. Repairs were made costing $9,000.”Owner report · Power Train · Jun 2026
“The rear camera view is skewed resulting in inaccurate reference angles of the vehicle. When used to assist in reversing results in improper placement of vehicle and can cause collision of vehicle with objects.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jun 2026
“My 2020 Chevy TrailBoss 6.2L V8 L87, same engine that has been recalled for 2021-2024 literally went dead in the middle of rush hour traffic. The engine has been deemed dead due to the exact current recall reasons. Seeing that was traffic was flowing at 45mph that was not a good scene as the vehicle " locked" itself into park originally so I was stuck in the middle of traffic. The vehicle has been confirmed seized uo by the Portsmouth NH Chevy dealer which is the Key Auto Group. Warranty adjusters representatives from a third party, not GM, will be assessing it this week. I purchased an after market warranty not by GM. I had no warning lights leading into the failure.”Owner report · Engine · May 2026
“The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, the vehicle suddenly made knocking sounds. The Check Engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle experienced rough idling and a decrease in motive power. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined the lifters had collapsed and bent the push rod. The push rod was replaced, but the newly installed part instantly bent. The mechanic informed the contact that the cam needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 107,800.”Owner report · Engine · May 2026
When filing, owners marked a crash in 13 of these complaints and injuries in 12 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 12 campaigns
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with diesel engines. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock-up.
Remedy: Dealers will install new transmission control module software, free of charge. GM will provide a special coverage program to cover the repair of transmissions that are identified by the remedy software as containing a defective control valve. Owner notification letters were mailed December 12, 2024. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, GMC customer service at GMC 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N242454440.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 and 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 trucks. One of the driveshaft joints may not have been properly welded, causing the driveshaft to separate while the vehicle is moving.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N202314870.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT5, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse vehicles and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The vehicles may have been manufactured with Continental tires that were overcured.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect vehicles and replace tires that have DOT number and production mold number combinations identified by Continental, free of charge. The recall began December 17, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202319030.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, and 2020 Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 vehicles equipped with carpet floor covering. When the front seat belt pretensioners deploy, hot gas may vent through an opening in the pretensioner bracket, possibly igniting the carpet.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will close off the opening in the pretensioner bracket, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192270600.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Camaro, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The fuel pump may be missing a pressure regulator, allowing for over-pressurization of the fuel system.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began December 18, 2019. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192283991.
General Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT5 and XT6, Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500 and Traverse and GMC Acadia and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The diffuser component of the Roof-Rail Air Bag (RRAB) inflator may not have been properly crimped to the inflator and could separate from the inflator during air bag deployment.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect RRAB modules, free of charge. The recall began September 3, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, or Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is N202305380.
General Motors, LLC is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, 3500, and 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles that may have been repaired incorrectly under recall 24V797. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock up.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicles and update the transmission control software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 6, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252516560. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 12, 2026.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, XT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, 2018-2021 Chevrolet Express, GMC Savana, 2019-2020 Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, GMC Acadia, Sierra 1500, and certain Continental tires sold to the aftermarket for various model year 2018-2021 vehicles. The affected tires were cured for too long during production.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 22, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212329050.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The bolts used to attach the front and/or rear brake calipers may have not been heat treated and may break under load.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake caliper bolts, free of charge. The recall began March 23, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-866-522-9559. GM's number for this recall is N202294420.
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 GMC Sierra 1500 and Silverado 1500 vehicles equipped with certain accessory road tires and a 17" spare tire. The 17" spare tire provided with the vehicle is not compatible for use with the accessory wheels, which can cause the anti-lock brake system (ABS) to not function properly under certain conditions.
Remedy: Dealers will provide a new 17" spare tire and wheel assembly that is compatible with the accessory wheels, free of charge. Dealers will also apply a new spare tire information label, and provide owners with an owner's manual insert clarifying which spare tire to use with the accessory road tires and with the 17" original tires. Owner notification letters were mailed February 7, 2022. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212346510.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon XL and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The seat belt brackets may not be secured to the seat frame in the front-row center seating position.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect left-side and right-side front-row center seat-belt bracket attachments and reassemble it correctly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202314670.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks. The battery positive (B+) cable rings may have been manufactured with excessive glue, potentially causing an intermittent electrical connection between the B+ cable and alternator.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect for the presence of glue or other contamination at the B+ cable attachment to the alternator and clean the connection and reattach the B+ cable connection, as necessary. If arcing has damaged the cable, nut, or alternator, the dealer will replace the damaged components. All services will be performed free of charge. GM issued owners an interim notification on February 4, 2020. GM issued second notice and the recall began March 9, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192273510.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Check your exact Silverado 1500 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 reliable?
NHTSA has 698 owner complaints and 12 recall campaigns on record for the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The most complained-about area is engine (27% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 40,500 miles or less.
Does the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 have open recalls?
12 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning power train:automatic transmission:control module:software. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.